Antichrist Superstar

Antichrist Superstar
Studio album by Marilyn Manson
Released	October 8, 1996
Recorded	February 1996–August 1996 at Nothing Studios, New Orleans
Genre	Industrial metal[1] heavy metal[2]
Length	77:26
Label	Nothing Interscope
Producer	Trent Reznor Dave Ogilvie Marilyn Manson Sean Beavan
Marilyn Manson chronology
Smells Like Children (1995) Antichrist Superstar (1996) Remix & Repent (1997)
Singles from Antichrist Superstar
"The Beautiful People" Released: September 22, 1996 "Tourniquet" Released: September 8, 1997

Antichrist Superstar is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. Released on October 8, 1996 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records, the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 which launched the band into mainstream success.^[3] This, allied with the band's uncompromisingly anti-Christian stance and transgressive performances, led to picketing and numerous protests from religious and civic groups. The album displayed a more musically cohesive and developed sound than any of their previous releases. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the album's release marked the end of the grunge era in popular music.

As a rock opera and a concept album, it was the first installment in a trilogy which included succeeding releases 1998's Mechanical Animals and 2000's Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). After the release of Holy Wood, Manson said that the overarching story within the trilogy is presented in reverse chronological order; Antichrist Superstar, therefore, is the finale despite being the first to be chronologically released.^[4] It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

The album has sold over 7 million copies worldwide,^[5] with 1.9 million of those sold in the United States alone.^[6] It spawned two commercial singles ("The Beautiful People" and "Tourniquet"), and an autobiography (The Long Hard Road Out of Hell). The band supported the album with the controversial Dead to the World Tour. In the years since its release, it has been heralded by numerous publications as a modern classic and essential listening.

Background

The album's title is a takeoff on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1971 musical Jesus Christ Superstar.^[7] Similarly, the record is a rock opera^[7] which, in an issue of Kerrang! magazine edited by the band's frontman, is stated as a tribute to—and inspired by—the works of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

After the release of Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), Marilyn Manson divulged that his concept album trilogy is an autobiographical story told in a reverse timeline (chronologically reverse from their actual release dates). That means Holy Wood opens the storyline followed by Mechanical Animals and concludes with Antichrist Superstar.^[8] Furthermore, though Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals made sense as individual concept albums on their own, there was a hidden overarching story running through the three releases.

Packaging

Antichrist Superstar has elaborate packaging, consisting of a black cardstock sleeve covering the plastic jewel case with graphics of Manson on both the front and back, the latter of which is flanked by the red Superstar Shock logo and the Roman numerals IX, VI, III and VII. The booklet contains pictures of the band, a visual worm-to-angel metamorphosis, medical diagrams, printed lyrics to each song, and liner notes including traditional thanks and credits as well as a curious entry found under the lyrics to the song "Irresponsible Hate Anthem", stating it was recorded live on February 14, 1997, despite the album being released well before that in October 1996.

Also, found on the front of the album cover is a circle surrounded by the words Heart, Mind, Complacent, and Malice. If one folds the booklet just right they can also find the hidden words Heart, Mind, Complacent, and Malice made up of folding the words Heaven/Comfort, Minister/Fiend, Complaisant/Magnificent and Master/Lice respectively. The booklet also makes reference to Revelation chapter twelve, verses one to five, in the Bible.

The album, despite containing a gap of silence a few minutes long, is cyclical, as both opening and closing seconds include the distorted phrase "When you are suffering, know that I have betrayed you." When the album is placed on loop, the pacing between the sentences matches that of the additional distorted recitation found in the preceding hidden track. The names of the two latter cycles seem to be a reference to two films by avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger: Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome and Lucifer Rising.

Singles and music videos

	"Cryptorchid"
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"The Beautiful People" is the first single of Antichrist Superstar. The video was released on September 22, 1996 and directed by Canadian director and photographer Floria Sigismondi. According to Manson, the title "The Beautiful People" was inspired by a book that came out in the mid-1960s by Marilyn Bender. This book contains information on the life of the Kennedy family, politics, fashion and culture. Moreover, the single was awarded gold record certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), reached number twenty-six in the US Billboard and number eighteen in the UK. The music channel VH1 named this single twenty-eight of their 40 Greatest Metal Songs.

"Tourniquet" is the second single from the album. It was released on September 8, 1997 and was also directed by Floria Sigismondi. In the video Manson is a humanoid moving through a wheel. The band uses a variety of bizarre costumes for each scene.

"Cryptorchid" is the third video from the album. The video was directed by E. Elias Merhige and displays images from his 1991 experimental film Begotten.

"Antichrist Superstar" was released as the fourth video. The video was also directed by E. Elias Merhige and depicts Manson on a podium bearing a lightning bolt symbol. In one scene, Manson tears apart the Bible, dumping it on the public. Before its planned launch, the video was screened at the 1997 San Francisco Film Festival, however, Interscope Records was appalled by its content and prevented its release. In 2010, the unedited video of "Antichrist Superstar" was leaked on YouTube.

"Man That You Fear" was the last video from Antichrist Superstar. The music video was directed by W.I.Z. and adapted from the Shirley Jackson short story The Lottery. The video also contains aesthetic and symbolic references to the 1973 film The Wicker Man and the 1989 Alejandro Jodorowsky film Santa Sangre.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B[10]
Spin	8/10[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]

The album received generally positive reviews by critics. Lorraine Ali of Rolling Stone commented "The rise of Marilyn Manson marks the end of the reign of punk realism in rock & roll [...] The layered effect of the music recalls that of Ministry, but Marilyn Manson's execution is not as dense. Instead, Antichrist Superstar writhes with a cool, sinister and taunting feel [...] before lurching out from the shadows with hammering percussion and static-loaded feedback [...] For all of the album's attractions, the band could have compressed Antichrist Superstar into a more powerful blast of evil."^[12] Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly commented "With Antichrist Superstar, Manson offers a combination vintage concept record and cheesy exploitation flick [...] to match his antisocial outbursts, Manson offers grinding metal guitars and death-rattle bass lines, letting his own deformed screech serve as the poison cherry on top [...] At least Manson's high-concept depravity has its own sick charm."^[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented, "Though the sonic details make Antichrist Superstar an intriguing listen, it's not as extreme as it could have been—in particular, the guitars are surprisingly anemic, sounding like buzzing vacuums instead of unwieldy chainsaws. Even with that considered, [It] is an unexpectedly cohesive album and will stand as Marilyn Manson's definitive statement.".^[9]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. According to Soundscan, the record moved 132,000 units in its first week.^[13] The album has sold at least 7 million copies worldwide,^[5] including at least 1,900,000 copies sold in the United States.^[6]

Accolades

According to AcclaimedMusic.net Antichrist Superstar is the 14th best album of 1996,^[14] the 180th greatest record released during the 1990s^[15] and the 973rd greatest of all-time.^[15] In 2001 Q named Antichrist Superstar as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time.^[16] In 2006, sister British magazines Classic Rock and Metal Hammer included Antichrist Superstar in The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s.^[17][18] Furthermore, in 2001, Classic Rock ranked the album 92nd in its 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever.^[18][19] The French edition of the British magazine Rock Sound ranked Antichrist Superstar 11th in their Top 150 Albums of Our Lifetime (1992–2006)^[20] and 13th in their 1996 Albums of the Year.^[18][21] Kerrang! ranks Antichrist Superstar 3rd in their 1996 list of Albums of the Year,^[22] 14th on their 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die^[23] and 88th in its 100 Greatest Rock Albums.^[18][24] Dutch magazine Muziekkrant OOR ranked Antichrist Superstar 109th in their 1996 Albums of the Year list.^[25] Rolling Stone listed Antichrist Superstar among its Essential Recordings Of The ‘90s in 1999^[26] and ranked it 84th in their The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s^[27] in 2010.^[18] The record is also listed in the book Albums: 50 Years of Great Recordings.^[18][28] British magazine Record Collector also list the album among their 10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century.^[18][29] German magazine Visions considers the album 37th in its list of The Most Important Albums of the 90s.^[18][30] The French FNAC ranks the record 606th in their The 1000 Best Albums of All Time.^[18][31] Furthermore, the French music magazine Rock & Folk lists Antichrist Superstar among The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999.^[18][32] In 2008, Consequence of Sound identified Antichrist Superstar as a modern classic in their "Dusting ‘Em Off" feature due to its counter-cultural and social impact during the late 90's.^[33] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[34]

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
AcclaimedMusic.net	United States	Greatest Records Of All Time[35]	1996	973
Q	United Kingdom	Top 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time[36]	2001	*
Classic Rock	United Kingdom	The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s[37]	2006	*
Metal Hammer	United Kingdom	The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s[37]	2006	*
Rock Sound	France	Albums of the Year[38]	1996	13th
Kerrang!	United Kingdom	100 Greatest Rock Albums[39]	2006	88th
Muziekkrant OOR	Netherland	Albums of the Year[39]	1996	109th
Rolling Stone	United States	The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s[39]	2000	84th
Record Collector	United Kingdom	10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century[39]	2000	*
Visions	German	The Most Important Albums of the 90s[18][30]	2000	37th
FNAC	France	The 1000 Best Albums of All Time[18][31]	2011	606th
Rock & Folk	France	The Best Albums from 1963 to 1999[39]	2000	*
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die	United States	1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[40]	2006	*

Dead to the World Tour

Following the release of Antichrist Superstar, Marilyn Manson staged a worldwide stadium tour, titled the Dead to the World Tour. Beginning on September 5, 1996 and lasting until September 16, 1997, the tour included eight legs spanning Europe, Japan, Oceania, Hawaii, North America and South America with a total of 175 shows.

A concert film was recorded to depict the tour, titled Dead to the World, and released on February 10, 1998 in VHS format by Interscope Records.^[41] It features live concert footage of 11 songs culled from performances across the world.^[41] "Apple of Sodom", "My Monkey", "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger" and a selection of songs from Antichrist Superstar are on the release.^[41]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Manson, except "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" co-written with Ramirez^[42]. 

Cycle I: The Heirophant
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Irresponsible Hate Anthem"	Berkowitz, Gacy	4:17
2.	"The Beautiful People"	Manson, Ramirez	3:38
3.	"Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World"	Manson, Ramirez	4:16
4.	"Tourniquet"	Berkowitz, Ramirez	4:29

Cycle II: Inauguration of the Worm
No.	Title	Music	Length
5.	"Little Horn"	Ramirez, Reznor	2:43
6.	"Cryptorchid"	Gacy	2:44
7.	"Deformography"	Ramirez, Reznor	4:31
8.	"Wormboy"	Berkowitz, Ramirez	3:56
9.	"Mister Superstar"	Ramirez	5:04
10.	"Angel with the Scabbed Wings"	Manson, Ramirez, Gacy	3:52
11.	"Kinderfeld"	Ramirez, Gacy	4:51

Cycle III: Disintegrator Rising
No.	Title	Music	Length
12.	"Antichrist Superstar"	Ramirez, Gacy	5:14
13.	"1996"	Ramirez	4:01
14.	"Minute of Decay"	Manson	4:44
15.	"The Reflecting God"	Ramirez, Reznor	5:36
16.	"Man That You Fear"	Ramirez, Manson, Gacy, Berkowitz	6:10
99.	"Track 99" (hidden track)	Gacy, Ramirez	1:39

Notes

• While consisting of three cycles, the album was released as a single disc, similar to the four cycles of 2000's Holy Wood.
• There are different names for the hidden track, "Empty Sounds of Hate". . The Marilyn Manson Collection on iTunes titles it "Ghost Track". Rhapsody titles the track as Track 99.

Outtakes

• Long Hard Road Out of Hell – appears on the 1997 Spawn soundtrack; also released on the "Man That You Fear" promotional single
• The Suck For Your Solution – appears on the Howard Stern: Private Parts soundtrack
• Apple of Sodom – appears on the Lost Highway soundtrack
• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes – unreleased, a later recording from the Mechanical Animals sessions, with updated lyrics and a different arrangement, was released on the Celebrity Deathmatch soundtrack as well as the live album The Last Tour on Earth.

Charts and certifications

Album Chart (1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[43] 41 Austria (Ö3)[43] 37 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[43] 13 France (SNEP)[43][44] 116 Germany (Media Control)[45] 100 Hungary (Mahasz)[46] 21 New Zealand (RIANZ)[43] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 50 United Kingdom (OCC)[47] 73 United States (Billboard 200)[48][49] 3

Certifications Region Provider Certification Shipment Actual Sales Argentina CAPIF Gold[50] 20,000+ — Australia ARIA Gold[51] 35,000+ — Canada CRIA 2× Platinum[52] 200,000+ — New Zealand RIANZ Platinum[53] 15,000+ — Mexico AMPROFON Gold[54] 100,000+ — United Kingdom BPI Gold[55] 100,000+ — United States RIAA Platinum[56] 1,000,000+ 1,900,000[6]

Singles

Single Chart (1996) Peak position "The Beautiful People" Australia (ARIA)[57] 42 Netherlands (MegaCharts)[57] 96 New Zealand (RIANZ)[57] 29 Modern Rock Tracks[58][59] 26 Mainstream Rock Tracks[58] 29 United Kingdom (OCC)[47] 18

Single Chart (1996–1997) Peak position "Tourniquet" Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[60] 16 New Zealand (RIANZ)[60] 41 Mainstream Rock Tracks[59] 30 United Kingdom (OCC)[47] 28

Credits and personnel

Marilyn Manson[61] Marilyn Manson – vocals, guitar and pan flute Daisy Berkowitz – lead and rhythm guitar Twiggy Ramirez – lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, bass Madonna Wayne Gacy – all keyboards, loops, and other original pieces of 16-bit audio information Ginger Fish – drums, programming Zim Zum – live guitar on the tour for Antichrist Superstar

Production[61] Sean Beavan – producer, engineer, editing, mixing, guitar (2), guitar synthesizer Trent Reznor – producer, editing, mixing, mellotron (6), guitar (7,9) rhodes piano (16) Robin Finck – guitar Danny Lohner – guitar (10,15) Chris Vrenna – drums (11), programming, engineer, editing Dave Ogilvie – producer, programming, engineer, editing, mixing P. R. Brown – digital illustration, design Dean Karr – photography

References

Footnotes

1. Shafer, Joseph (April 8, 2015). "The 10 Best Marilyn Manson Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
2. "Antichrist Superstar Marilyn Manson". The Nation. March 21, 1997. p. 18.
3. "Marilyn Manson - Awards". Allmusic. All Media Guide (Rovi). Retrieved 2015-08-16.
4. Lanham, Tom (November 2000). "Marilyn Manson: Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder". Alternative Press (Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.) (#148): 76‐86.
5. San Roman, Gabriel (2011-10-07). "Marilyn Manson's 'Antichrist Superstar' Turns 15 as 'Born Villain' Readies for Release". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
6. "Marilyn Manson: Antichrist indie star". Reuters. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
7. Thigpen, David (1997-02-24). "Music: Satan's Little Helpers". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
8. Saidman, Sorelle (2000-09-18). "Marilyn Manson Unveils Tour Plans, First Single For Holy Wood". MTV News (latterly VH1). Retrieved 2010-11-16.
9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Antichrist Superstar - Marilyn Manson". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
10. Farber, Jim (1996-10-11). "Antichrist Superstar Entertainment Weekly review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
11. Spin (12/96, p.140) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Its 16 songs rock like '70s Sabbath-style metal, but harder; the arrangements echo Queen in operatic scope but are more intense; the mood owes its vampiric chill to Bauhaus, but this band actually bites the vein..."
12. Ali, Lorraine (1996-10-29). "Antichrist Superstar Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
13. Dansby, Andrew (2003-05-21). "Manson Golden at Number One". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
14. "The Top Albums from 1996". Acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
15. "Marilyn Manson Artist Rank". Acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
16. "Q Magazine 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time". Q Magazine. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
17. "The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s". Classic Rock & Metal Hammer. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
18. "Antichrist Superstar All Music Guide Info and Review". Acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
19. "Classic Rock (Christmas 2001) – 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever". Classic Rock & Metal Hammer. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
20. "Top 150 Albums of Our Lifetime". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
21. "Choix des critiques depuis 1993". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
22. "Kerrang! Albums Of The Year 1996". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
23. "Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
24. "Kerrang! 100 Greatest Rock Albums". Kerrang!. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
25. "Jaarlijst Oor 1996". Muziekkrant OOR. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
26. "Rolling Stone Essential Recordings Of The ‘90s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
27. "Rolling Stone The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
28. "Albums: 50 Years of Great Recordings". Acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
29. "10 Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century" (#245). Record Collector. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
30. "Die 100 wichtigsten Platten der Neunziger". Visions. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
31. "Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la fnac". FNAC (latterly Listology). Retrieved 2011-03-06.
32. "Choix des critiques ou des lecteurs depuis 1993". Rock & Folk. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
33. Buchanan, David (2008-09-13). "Dusting ‘Em Off: Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
34. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
35. "Pazz & Jop Critics Poll of 2001". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
36. "Classic Rock – The 100 Greatest Rock Albums of All-Time". Retrieved 2007-11-04.
37. "The Definitive 200". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
38. Dimery, Robert (February 7, 2006). "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.". Universe. New York, NY (ISBN 0-7893-1371-5). p. 910.
39. "A Selection of Lists from Record Collector Magazine". Rocklist.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
40. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
41. "Dead to the World". Interscope Records. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
42. "Antichrist Superstar". Amazon. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
43. "International charting positions for Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar (Album)". Irish-Charts. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
44. "International charting positions for Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar (Album)". αCharts.us. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
45. "Chartverfolgung / Marilyn Manson / Longplay". PhonoNet. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
46. "Search for Marilyn Manson in the Artist field". Mahasz. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
47. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Zobbel. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
48. Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums charting. billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
49. allmusic Billboard charts & awards. allmusic Retrieved 2010-11-17.
50. "Marilyn Manson in Argentinian Charts". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
51. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on March 5, 2011.
52. "CRIA Database Search for Marilyn Manson" Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.
53. "NZ Top 50 Albums Chart, 7 June 1998". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
54. "Certificaciones". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
55. "BPI - Statistics - Certified Awards - Search for Marilyn Manson". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
56. "RIAA Database Search for Antichrist Superstar" Recording Industry Association of America. Access date: March 5, 2011.
57. "International charting positions for Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People (Song)". Irish-charts. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
58. Alternative Songs charting. billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
59. allmusic Billboard Singles charts & awards. allmusic Retrieved 2010-11-17.
60. "International charting positions for Marilyn Manson – Tourniquet (Song)". Irish-charts. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
61. "Antichrist Superstar credits". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-11-17.

Bibliography

• Manson, Marilyn; Strauss, Neil (February 14, 1998). The Long Hard Road Out of Hell. New York: HarperCollins division ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-039258-4.

External links

• Antichrist Superstar at Interscope Records
• Music Emissions – Antichrist Superstar